I want to travel around Australia but my partner doesn't!

You'd expect that people who have been together for years or even decades would both be on the same page when it comes to packing up and taking off on a trip around Australia.

But it's not always the case.

I often get emails from people asking for advice on how to 'convince' their partner to retire and hit the road or that taking the kids out of school for 6 months or a year will be a good thing.

I've also heard a few horror stories of retired couples and families that did take the plunge and made it 2 or 3 months into their trips and it all went pear shaped.

It just wasn't working, usually because one half of the partnership was really not committed.

They ended up pulling the pin and heading home and you can imagine just how the mood in the car would have been on those return trips!

In almost every case though, when the reluctant partner does take the plunge, they don't look back and end up being just as big a fan of the experience.

I've also found from talking with people we've met on the road that the reluctant partner is not so concerned about not liking the travelling lifestyle as they are about leaving behind the things that matter to them - friends, family, routines, hobbies . . structure . . . control.

So if your goal is to persuade your other half and maybe your kids as well to join you on a big lap adventure, and for them to genuinely enjoy it, then you first need to help overcome the issues that are holding them back.

What you don't want to do is use bribery or any other emotional leverage to get what you want because it will more than likely come back to bite you.

And you'll find your trip will not be the great experience you imagine it will be.

You need to take the long view and accept that it may take some time to get where you want to go.

In our case it took us 7 years from when we resolved to do The Big Lap until the day we drove out the driveway.

Many obstacles had to be overcome along the way - we had a business to sell and we wanted to have babies.

But by keeping our big lap firmly on the radar we eventually got there.

Mind you our friends got pretty sick of hearing us talking about our 'big trip' and I'm sure they quietly talked about it never really coming to fruition.

So below I've put together some ideas that you can use that will help to get everyone on the same page and help you turn your big lap dream into a plan that you are both/all on board with.

Ease Them Into It

How does the saying go . . . 'You catch a lot more flies with honey!?"

Ultimately you want them to be excited about the experience like you are, not just go along with it to keep you happy.

One way to do this is to give them a taste of what to expect and make it a very positive experience.

Plan some short trips away - even start with a weekend.

Go somewhere nice and comfortable and rent a cabin in a caravan park.

When you're ready to take the next step, rent a camper trailer for a week and go somewhere slightly more adventurous.

Don't try to do too much too soon though - planning a 7 day trip where you move somewhere new every day will only add stress to the experience.

Packing up and setting up takes time and isn't loads of fun.

Plan to spend at least 3 nights in each spot so you have time to relax and enjoy the 'serenity'.

Try and plan these short trips for times when the weather is great - nothing will turn them off faster than a weekend of cold and rain.

In the build up to the 'big one' you might even plan a longer 4 or 6 week road trip to somewhere further away like the Red centre, Birdsville, Cape York even.

An experience that will be big enough to really get into the travelling lifestyle and hopefully get them hooked well and truly and wanting more.

Go home for holidays

One of the concerns that people have about taking off around Australia for a six months or a year or more is that they will miss their friends and family back at home.

To overcome this you can plan to have holidays back at home as often as you need to during your trip - every few months even.

You can leave your car and camper trailer or caravan in storage at a caravan park and fly home for a week or two, catch up with everyone, then fly back and resume your trip.

This will go a long way to overcoming their reluctance to be away from family for so long.

Invite friends and family to come and join you

You can also invite your friends and family to come and spend some time with you along the way.

This is a holiday for them and a chance to share some quality time together.

We had several visitors on our Big Lap.

My Mum travelled with us for nearly two months early in the trip.

Our friend Anita spent a long week with us on the west coast.

Another friend Jackie spent a long weekend with us at Uluru.

And my Dad spent a week with us at Lake Argyle.

Later in the trip Jen met Anita for a week of pampering, shopping and lazing by the pool on the Gold Coast while the girls and I drove from Alice Springs up the Stuart Highway to Katherine where we picked her up fro the bus station.

Break it into smaller trips

If the whole 'year away from home' idea is proving to be hard to sell, you can always look at breaking up your big lap into shorter trips of say, 3 months each.

Doing it in smaller bites is a lot better than not doing it at all and you never know, once the bug bites you might find yourself on that endless road trip that you're dreaming about (or is that just me 🙂

Don't burn your bridges

Another concern that people have is leaving behind their home and possessions or selling the house and regretting it.

Everyone's circumstances are different but I would not suggest you sell your house to do the big lap if you have the option to rent it out.

Even better, you may find that you can leave your furniture in your house and rent it out fully furnished which might increase the rent you get.

This will also reduce your costs of storage.

Having your home to come back to is a reassuring feeling and may be what your reluctant partner needs.

If you get 9 months down the road and both decide you really do want to sell up then you can always come back and sell your house then resume your trip.

If you need to sell your house to afford that 'dream' caravan and new 4WD and you are both not 100% committed to this, then I'd suggest you don't.

You don't need $150,000 worth of 4WD and caravan to drive around Australia.

You can put together a perfectly comfortable and reliable setup for well under $30k that in a years time after you've done your trip will still be worth virtually the same amount.

If you get 6 months down the road and are beyond any doubt that this is your lifestyle from here onwards, then go ahead and sell up.

But I bet even then you'll reconsider whether you need to spend the big bucks to get all the bells and whistles.

Once you get out there you realise you don't really need all that stuff that seemed so indispensable in the showroom or at the 4WD show.

We camped in a caravan park in Broome on our Big Lap and there we were in our old 80 Series Land Cruiser and cheap camper trailer looking all dirty and dusty from several weeks exploring the Pilbara.

A retired couple pulled in next to us in their immaculate new off-road caravan and latest model Landcruiser.

Once they were setup, the guy was out polishing his chrome tow ball and we started chatting - he asked about where we'd been to get so much red dirt all over our rig and I told him, Karijini National Park, Newman etc.

He proceeded to tell me about how they'd driven about 80 km along a dirt road the week before and it had taken him so long to clean all the dust off after that he wouldn't be doing it again!

In fact he was finding the whole travelling thing a bit stressful and yearned to get back home to the simple life back in the city.

These guys are an example of jumping in too hard too soon.

No doubt when they got home they sold their off-road caravan and virtually new Landcruiser and lost a small fortune in the process and still talk about what a bad experience the whole thing was.

Easing into it with a less glamorous and much lower cost rig would have been the smarter decision and may have caused less stress along the way as who cares if the old 80 series is dirty!

If all else fails . . . go alone

If no matter how hard you try, you cannot get your partner to the start line then maybe you need to think about going solo.

It's not uncommon to see people, even retirees, travelling alone on extended trips.

Travelling by yourself is a very different experience and while it can be a bit lonely and maybe a little scary at times, it's very rewarding as well.

You inevitably meet more people and find yourself outside of your comfort zone more often which is mostly a good thing.

Once again, start with smaller trips so that you and your partner can get used to the idea.

Maybe go on an organised bus or 4wd tour for a week or two.

This will give you time to think about how you might engineer longer trips.

It may also get your partner thinking about what they are missing and make them more inclined to have a go.

Make sure you take plenty of photos and share your great experience but always in a positive 'you would have loved it' way . . . rather than 'look how much fun I had without you'!

And finally . .

Here are few more 'conversation point's that you can use to help paint the picture for your partner about what an extended road trip is all about:

Remind them that Australia is the ultimate touring destination. It’s huge, it’s adventurous, it’s safe, there are no country borders, no language barriers, you’ll find every conceivable environment from snow capped peaks to sun scorched deserts and everything in between, it’s unspoilt and uncrowded, it’s not that expensive and there are loads of fun things to do. Frankly they owe it to themselves to get out and see their own backyard.

Remind them of the memories they will be creating that will last a lifetime. You might even offer to buy them a nice camera as an incentive.

Consider the family bonding experience – shared adventure and all that. What could be better than a year spent with your partner (and kids) exploring and discovering new things?

Think of all the people you’ll meet and the friends you’ll make. Real friends that will genuinely love you to visit them one day and stay. The fact that you are both out travelling around the country means you have something in common so you’ll always have plenty to talk about.

Remind them of the time they will have to just relax and watch the world go by. Sitting on a beach with a book, strolling along a nice bush track, wildlife encounters, cappuccinos in new and interesting cafés, markets, history and landscapes that will literally take your breath away.

And if they still need more convincing, remind them that they only live once!

Steve Baile

I'm a road trip junkie! There's nothing I love more than packing up the 4WD or motorbike and heading for the horizon in search of new adventures. I'm also the founder and Chief Blogger of Expedition Australia.

9 thoughts on “I want to travel around Australia but my partner doesn't!”

Shirleysays:

My husband and I loved your DVD. We have been travelling around Australia for the last 42 years. However our trip to WA wasn't until 2014, which was our maiden voyage in our Bushtracker 20ft caravan. We travelled 19,000km and spent $19,000. No expense was spared. We are both 67 years old and are determined to spend our kids inheritance with their blessings. My husband could live on the road full time but I like to have a base to come back too. Compromise is the name of the game. We have a 14 month old grand-daughter who I am not willing to stay away from too long so we have been going away for 6 weeks and coming home for 6 weeks. Works for us!

3 of us went from Adelaide across the West when it was still 50% dirt. then back across the centre with fuel drop at Tracking station in SImpson. in '75 on 250 dirt bikes. Up the top to tip then back down the coast to Adel.
That was a cheapie 3 months off work.

Next one was a Toyota Campervan in 6 months. More comfort. more cost. (Around '78/9.

Next one by self on 600 dirt bike.(Dakar) up middle via cooper creek. then across to Cairns
.Daintree. back to Adel.
Sailed round twice. by myself.
and last 14yrs cruising 3 to 4 months of yr with missus in a 6.5mtr offroad van.
Comfort plus but mainly roads and tracks only.
Nowadays Overseas instead.

I know lots of old farts like me, and older (73yrs) doing it permanently on Pension.
Others working round.
Others work fo coupla yrs. Cruise in Yachts, on road till it runs out
then work again.

As long as you doing it, as you said. you only live once.
First missus wouldn't go. I went myself. She never regretted, Neither did I.
This missus loves it. But not tent.Trailer or bike (chuckle)

Do NOT sell your home. Buy smaller.
If you not an owner. Just possessions in Container or sell. small van (15 ft up to 17 economical) dual cab ute. and keep foot off throttle.
If you have annexe on van anybody can live comfortably in one Permanently, forever.
Lots do.
Don't be scared of it.. and don't wait till "you have enough in bank"
It never happens.
What if?.What if? What if??.

ONE DAY.. we ALL NEED to stop for some reason.
EVERYBODY..
Rent it out. or hire container (10ft) and put in family/friends yard.

I left home at 13 yrs. stopped at 58, New missus.
Always travelled, still do. But now it's nice to "be home again for a while"

Hey Mack nice story I am with you man, loved how you relate I ride, sail, 4WD and camp out, looking to maybe a few expeditions etc very encouraging to read your story, love to get my wife interested...

Hey Mack, what if both myself and wife want to go on the road full time at the end of this year and the only way to do it is to sell the house to pay for the 4wd, caravan and have a bank balance to last us for a year. Work casually to replenish bank balance? Would I regret selling up?

Hi Steve,
Just finished watching The Big Lap series. It was highly addictive viewing, entertaining, very informative and above all it's the perfect motivational tool for anyone contemplating exploring this great land.
I would love it if you could produce another series, next time on an adventure touring motorbike. I reckon this style of touring is growing in popularity and that there is a huge market waiting for the next Big Lap series - on two wheels!
Cheers, Aidan

G'day Steve
Sue and I were wondering, what the total cost for your trip was, on a weekly avarage?
We did a trip from canberra to Perth and back, in a 150 diesel prado, and cub off road camp trailer,
We kept a record of everything we spent, when we got home, it was interesting to add it all up.
8weeks
10600km
$8000 total
$1000 a week in total cost, we could have done it cheaper...
We are wondering if you have a weekly average, would love to know.
Loved the movie, have watched it a couple of times... Makes us want to pack up and hit the road again. Thanks for the inspiration... All the best to you and the family. Cheers Owen

G'day Owen, thanks for the feedback. I think we would have been in the same ballpark - around $1000 a week - with young kids on board we didn't do as much free camping as we could have so we probably spent more on caravan parks than necessary. Everyone is different though which is why I created the Big Lap Budget Spreadsheet. You could do it on a shoestring if you really wanted to or you could spend a fortune.